A Study of Negro Artists
4 /10 1 Votes
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
A study of negro artists 1936 silent documentary
A Study of Negro Artists is a silent film in black and white on four reels that was created in the 1930s to highlight the development of African-American fine arts. The film features many influential black artists associated with the Harlem Renaissance, including Richmond Barthe, James Latimer Allen, Palmer Hayden, Aaron Douglas, and Augusta Savage. The 15-minute motion picture was made by Jules V. D. Bucher.
Contents
- A study of negro artists 1936 silent documentary
- A study of negro artists
- Funding
- Significance
- References
A study of negro artists
Funding
The project was funded by the Harmon Foundation and screened at the New York Public Library to raise funds to save the Harlem Art Workshop. In creating A Study of Negro Artists, the Harmon Foundation hoped to educate the American public about the rich African American arts scene developing in New York City.
Significance
The film is an example of the New Negro Arts movement associated with the Harlem Renaissance. It also exemplifies the tendency to segregate artistic achievement according to perceived racial differences.
Art critic John Ott has suggested that efforts by the Harmon Foundation of this kind "eclipses African American artistic endeavors with images of black menial employment." According to Ott, the film implies that artistic work is a leisure activity, but synonymous with labor by focusing attention on the working bodies of the featured artists, rather than the products of their work. Inter-titles further this suggestion: